sds/overcommit · error · Overcommit::Exceptions::InvalidCommandArgs

Cannot pipe commands with the `execute_in_background` helper

Error message

Cannot pipe commands with the `execute_in_background` helper

What it means

Error "Cannot pipe commands with the `execute_in_background` helper" thrown in sds/overcommit.

Source

Thrown at lib/overcommit/utils.rb:235

          end

        debug("EXIT STATUS: #{result.status}")
        debug("STDOUT: #{result.stdout.inspect}")
        debug("STDERR: #{result.stderr.inspect}")

        result
      end

      # Execute a command in a subprocess, returning immediately.
      #
      # This provides a convenient way to execute long-running processes for
      # which we do not need to know the result.
      #
      # @param args [Array<String>]
      # @return [ChildProcess] detached process spawned in the background
      def execute_in_background(args)
        if args.include?('|')
          raise Overcommit::Exceptions::InvalidCommandArgs,
                'Cannot pipe commands with the `execute_in_background` helper'
        end

        debug("Spawning background task: #{args.join(' ')}")
        Subprocess.spawn_detached(args)
      end

      # Return the number of processors used by the OS for process scheduling.
      def processor_count
        @processor_count ||= Etc.nprocessors
      end

      # Calls a block of code with a modified set of environment variables,
      # restoring them once the code has executed.
      def with_environment(env)
        old_env = {}
        env.each do |var, value|
          old_env[var] = ENV[var.to_s]

View on GitHub (pinned to fee0cd74b2)

Solutions

1. Remove the pipe (`|`) from the command array passed to `execute_in_background`; split the pipeline into separate invocations.
2. If shell piping is required, wrap the command in `sh -c 'cmd1 | cmd2'` and handle its output manually.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at lib/overcommit/utils.rb:235 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of sds/overcommit@fee0cd74b2 (2026-08-23). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c64800a8281de8c7. Report an issue: GitHub.